Your comprehensive guide to the upcoming local elections in Coventry on the 2 May, including who you are voting for, how to vote and when we can expect the results.

Voters across the city will head to the polls in just over a week to vote in the local elections.

Seats on the Coventry City Council are up for grabs across all 18 wards, with all five major parties represented as well as two independent candidates.

Councillors are elected by a simple majority – whoever gets the most votes – and serve for four years at a time.

The current make-up of the council is Labour (40), Conservative (13) and independent (1).

With just over one week left, we have compiled a breakdown of information ahead of the crucial vote in Coventry on May 2.

Who am I voting for?

This year there are candidates from Labour, the Conservatives and the Green Party in all 18 wards, while UKIP has entered 14, Liberal Democrats 4, Socialist Alternatives 3, plus 2 independent candidates.

A councillor’s primary role is to represent their ward and the people who live in it, providing a bridge between the community and the local authority. They also decide how the Council spends its money and what the most important things are for the Council and the city.

It is important to note that councillors differ from council officers, who are employed by the council.

Officers are responsible for the practical development of council policies and procedures and help ensure local services are delivered.

While councillors receive a basic allowance, they are not paid employees, unlike council officers.

Who are the candidates?

Here is the full list of candidates for each ward, in alphabetical order:

Bablake

Angela Hopkins (Labour and Co-Operative)

Tarlochan Jandu (Conservative)

Tony Middleton (UKIP)

David Priestley (Green)

Binley and Willenhall

Derek Andrews (Conservative)

Paul Cowley (UKIP)

Danny Foulstone (Green)

Ram Lakha (Labour)

Cheylesmore

Richard Brown (Labour)

Jim McClean (Liberal Democrat)

Zaid Rehman (Conservative)

John Verdult (Green)

Earlsdon

John Finlayson (Green)

Becky Gittins (Labour and Co-Operative)

Stephen Richmond (Liberal Democrat)

Ken Taylor (Conservative)

Foleshill

Abdul Khan (Labour)

Raja Meesala (Conservative)

Cathy Wattebot (Green)

Henley

Matthew Handley (Green)

Eamonn Mahon (Independent)

Ian Rogers (UKIP)

Pat Seaman (Labour)

William Sidhu (Conservative)

Holbrook

Ian Alcock (UKIP)

Joe Clifford (Labour)

Stephen Gray (Green)

Amarjit Khangura (Conservative)

Longford

Jim Bench (Independent)

Linda Bigham (Labour)

Marcus Fogden (UKIP)

Cristian Honeychurch (Green)

Laura Ridley (Conservative)

Lower Stoke

Ivor Davies (UKIP)

Terri Hersey (Socialist Alternative)

John McNicholas (Labour and Co-Operative)

Zeeshan Qazi (Conservative)

Esther Reeves (Green)

Radford

Maya Ali (Labour)

Isla Boadle (Socialist Alternative)

Jules Spriddle (Green)

James Stubbs (UKIP)

Neil Worwood (Conservative)

Sherbourne

Glyn Davies (UKIP)

Mattie Heaven (Conservative)

Gavin Lloyd (Labour)

Nukey Proctor (Liberal Democrat)

Niall Webb (Green)

St Michael’s

Joe McAvoy-Boss (Green)

Dave Nellist (Socialist Alternative)

Jim O’Boyle (Labour)

Mary Taylor (Conservative)

Upper Stoke

Randhir Auluck (Labour)

George Ireland (UKIP)

Surinder Singh (Conservative)

Laura Vesty (Green)

Wainbody

Becky Finlayson (Green)

Joshua Gregory-Salter (UKIP)

Abdul Jobbar (Labour)

James Morshead (Liberal Democrat)

Tim Sawdon (Conservative)

Westwood

Stephen Arnold (UKIP)

Marcus Lapsa (Conservative)

Jess Marshall (Green)

Dave Toulson (Labour)

Woodlands

Bradley Alcock (UKIP)

Nobby Clarke (Labour)

Peter Male (Conservative)

Sudhir Sard (Green)

Wyken

Chrissie Brown (Green)

Asha Masih (Conservative)

Michelle Reid (UKIP)

Hazel Sweet (Labour)

Whoberley

Pervez Akhtar (Labour)

Kate Harper (UKIP)

Steve Keough (Conservative)

Anne Patterson (Green)

How do I vote?

The most common way people vote is by heading to the polling stations between 7am – 10pm on 2 May.

To find out where your local polling station will be on the day, enter your postcode into this handy tool provided by the Council.

You can also apply to vote by proxy if there is some reason that you cannot make it on the day. The deadline for applying to vote by proxy is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April. Read more about registering for proxy vote here.

The counting and declaration of the results usually takes place overnight at the Ricoh Arena, generally starting at 10pm and finishing at around 2/3am.

You can follow live election results overnight on 2 May on our website and on Instagram at @hellocov.